Changes are on the horizon. Tuesday night there was a lot of talk with little action.

The DeKalb liquor commission took another small step toward resolving the issues of drinking while serving, keg registration and license designation Tuesday night.

One main topic of the night was that of employees not being able to consume any type of alcohol while on the job.

“I’ve seen employees drinking while working, that’s why this is in question, “ said Cory Warren, deputy liquor commissioner.

Currently there is nothing in chapter 38 concerning the idea of prohibition while on the job. Warren is concerned that having intoxicated employees is a safety issue, bringing up a nightclub fire that occurred in Rhode Island in 2003.

In the case of an emergency, an employee should be able to help the patrons of the establishment get out safely, Warren said.

One business owner was frustrated about the lack of trust from the city.

“If you don’t trust us to run our business, maybe you should tell us to get out of the liquor business,” said Eduardo’s owner Edward Balli, who later apologized for how passionate he got during the meeting.

Another big issue of the meeting was keg tagging.

The idea proposed to have those consumers wanting to purchase a keg apply for a permit through the city council if the keg being purchased is over 16 gallons. A serial number on the keg would also help the police identify who purchased the keg.

“All we’d have to do is go to the keg, take the number, and guess who gets the ticket,” said police chief Bill Feithen.

Warren believes by enforcing this law, it would control underage drinking from kegs.

“We make sure if the police department walks into a party with six kegs and no one is within spitting age of 21, we have something to go by,” Warren said.

Licensing classes were also on the agenda for the night. Wording was added to chapter 38 by city attorney Norma Guess clarifying what a Class A and Class P license would entail.

Guess hopes that by Aug. 1, 2008, all businesses holding a Class A license will stay with a Class A, which would allow them to only sell liquor for consumption on the premises, or convert to a Class P, which would allow them to sell only packaged liquor for consumption off premises.

In the proposed plan, the Class A businesses would have five years to choose between Class A and a Class P license.

The incentive for the businesses to switch is a discount given by the city of DeKalb.

“We have passed rules and vetoed things they [the city council] has passed,” said board member Michael Embrey at the close of the meeting. “It’s only us as a recommendation board.”

All topics discussed were tabled until the next meeting to be held on Oct. 16, 2007.

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